Went there with my folks when I was about 8 or 9. First real vacation my Mother had gotten the old man to agree to. He had bought a brand-new Lincoln the previous year, and I knew he itched to try it out on the open road. If memory serves, the Dells were about 250 miles from our home. We stayed in a cabin, one of about ten a lady owned in town, "Mrs. Fitzgerald's Cabins". No idea how I remember these long-lost details. We actually ate breakfast the first morning there in a RESTAURANT, something my Dad always shunned, preferring only home-cooked food. Happy, though, they had BUCKWHEAT PANCAKES which he loved! All the scenic attractions there had quaint names. "Stand Rock", two tall pillars flat on top, we saw the guy have his dog jump across, then back! Another big attraction was "Riding the Ducks". "The DUKW (colloquially known as Duck) is a six-wheel-drive amphibious modification of the 21⁄2-ton CCKW trucks used by the U.S. military during World War II and the Korean War." The scenery there is magnificent, high sandstone cliffs and formations churned away by the Wisconsin River. "The Dells of the Wisconsin River, also called the Wisconsin Dells(from French dalles, or narrows), is[1] a 5-mile (8-km) gorge on the Wisconsin River in south-central Wisconsin, USA. It is noted for its scenic beauty, in particular for its unique Cambrian sandstone rock formations and tributary canyons.[2] The cliffs, some over 100 feet (30 m) high, and side canyons are closed to the public to protect sensitive ecological features. The viewing of the rock formations by water is a popular tourist attraction in the area. The nearby city of Wisconsin Dells is the center of summer tourist activity, much of it in the form of the theme parks unrelated to the river features." See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dells_of_the_Wisconsin_River If you've never been there, it is a most-amazing and interesting, worthwhile destination! Frank
Wisconsin Dell's was one of only a couple of actual tourist attractions that I went to with my parents when I was a kid, probably about the same age as you. I loved it. On the same trip, we also went to the Cave of the Mounds, which I liked even more.
@Bess Barber You might check out the "House on the Rock". I'll try to find some info. It houses a vast number of nostalgic things that many of us might not remember, such as the early music machines built perhaps in the 1920s, which played real instruments using air pressure and motors to drive bowstrings and the like. One of the original companies, Mills Novelty, in Chicago, built slot machines. My Dad worked for Mills before my folks were married. One of their machines I came across in a pawn shop in Carson City (NV) in the late '60s. It was plugged in, and played a violin beautifully! For 25 cents, of course! They were asking $5000 for it. It played one violin, with backup. The following two have two violins each. House on the Rock has a number of them, of various configurations, as well as entire automated orchestras made in the early 20th. Century. And, a gigantic children's Carousel! Hundreds of other things indescribable. World's Largest Indoor Carousel I did a bit of looking, but decided the most informative site is this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_on_the_Rock
I've been to Wisconsin Dells, rode down those narrows, stopped at some of the shopping areas along the way. My sister -n -laws family owned a boat and and one of the stops where they sold stuff. My brother and sister in law still live in Wisconsin Dells.
They also used to put on one heck of a water show(skiers) at night during the summer or maybe that was something scheduled for a certain time of year.
@Bill Boggs Right on! I think it was called "Tommy Bartlett's Water Thrill Show". My Mother looked forward greatly to it. Frank